HOT HOT HOT

I tried to post something last night and couldn't get in, so when I tried again tonight and still couldn't get in I became concerned. I fiddled around until I found a backdoor and entered and here I am. I just hope this is not going to be an issue with my not being able to access my blog to post.

It is now 11:45pm and the temperature outside is 80 degrees. Ho-ly hell. We were in the lower 90's today and they expect it to be that for the next couple of days. What did we do to be punished thusly? This country is going to hell in a hand basket in more ways than one. I don't like this weather. The cats and their kittens outside are not amused by it either.

To make matters worse, the weather people said there would be no rain overnight. Liars. At 5:25am I was awakened by thunder and lightning with a lot of that wet stuff pouring out of the sky. I was able to somehow get myself back to sleep so I have no idea how long it lasted. When I went out to take care of the animals the heat just smacked me in the face. All that rain...for nothing. And as much as I groused about all that rain day after day a week or so ago, I would welcome it now. So would the cats.

Today was a long day for me. It was just the two of us so it didn't seem like a holiday at all. We decided to go out to eat for dinner but we came right back home to our air conditioned home. Husband starts his third week of physical therapy tomorrow but only has two days this week. Next week will be his final week hopefully, and then it is off to see his surgeon again.

Going 128 MPH in a 45 MPH Zone

Yes, you read that correctly. That is exactly what NASCAR driver Kyle Busch was doing in Iredell County, North Carolina, yesterday.

It seems that Toyota gave him a 2012 Lexus to test drive and with his wife, Samantha, by his side he decided the best place to do that was on a two lane curvy road in North Carolina. When he was finally pulled over by police, it was in a church parking lot. He should have headed straight inside and gotten on his knees.

Just beyond where he was stopped they say there are two schools, both of which were ready to dismiss classes for the day.

Why am I writing about this? Certainly not because I am a fan of Kyle Busch, because I'm not. I wouldn't give him the time of day and I don't like giving him space on my blog either. What has me really pissed off about this whole situation is the fact that NASCAR said he didn't do anything wrong and they are staying out of it, saying it's a police matter.

Say what? The little jerk is already on probation from NASCAR for what he did at the track a few weeks ago when the race was over and he rammed Kevin Harvick's driver-less car and sent it into the wall on pit road.

It's an outrage how he is left go and is unpunished for his childish rants. I guess once he kills someone maybe then they will sit up and take notice. But by then, it will be too late.

Under The Weather

Just when I thought it was safe to go into the water we are getting more rain. That water quote is from the movie Jaws. I use it a lot.

Right now there is not much going on with me. I'm not exactly sick, per se, but I would consider myself under the weather a bit. I am in a sort of funk these days. I would say it was one main thing but really it's not...it's a combination of a lot of things.

I will deal with it myself and figure out a way to kick me in the butt and get me back to normal. That may take awhile. I'm a slow learner.

Going Crazy From All This Rain

The past few days have been nothing but rainy and dismal which is enough to depress even the happiest person. 

Husband started outpatient therapy on Monday and has appointment times set up for two more days this week. He also has his times set for the following three weeks before going back to see his surgeon.

This Friday it will be four weeks since his surgery and I can't believe how that time slipped by at such amazing speed. I'm surprised I don't have whiplash.

All the female cats decided to have their kittens in the greenhouse this year. Probably because the weather is so nasty. I have never seen so many kittens at one time. I have three boxes out there so the little ones don't get lost.  I have no idea which kittens belong to which mother.  It's like a hippie commune. 

There is one cute story about them. One of the mothers had her two kittens two weeks before the others started having theirs. At that time she and another female were playing musical kittens. It was put and take for many days. I sort of lost track of them, too. Now that mother keeps trying to steal one of the other kittens that doesn't belong to her. Twice I have seen her with it in her mouth trying to make a beeline for somewhere else and twice I have seen the mother of that kitten stop her and make her bring it back. It's really comical to watch.

A Successful Day

Friday the 13th started out with a trip to husband's surgeon. It was his first visit after having surgery on his knee. We  found out he only lost 7 lbs. during the entire three weeks. Let me tell you, his appetite still hasn't come back, so  I thought he would have lost at least 15 lbs.  That was kind of a shock to both of us.

His surgeon was very pleased with the way things have gone so far and we are all keeping our fingers crossed that they continue to go well. After having his knee cut open for the third time, we are kind of hoping it is the last time.  Neither of us want to go through this again.  But both of us said that last time, too.

There has been one nagging problem as a result of this recent operation, and that is husband's blood pressure. When the visiting nurse took his BP I would write it down because I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was always very low. Too low for my comfort. He has always been in the range of 114/70 but when that bottom number was no better than 50 with some readings at 48 and the top number around 90-95, it was cause for me to be very concerned. I mentioned it to the surgeon's main nurse in his office and she agreed. She suggested we talk to his cardiologist and see if he would rearrange his meds.

When we came home I called his doctor and was able to get an afternoon appointment. The outcome of that meeting got some of his meds changed. He was told to stop taking one (his second most expensive one), cut another in half, plus they added a generic to take the place of the expensive name brand med. Since his blood pressure was so dangerously low, it was causing him to be lightheaded and dizzy and that in itself is very scary for me. I can't risk him falling and damaging his knee.

The other good news is he is now cleared to drive.  He drove to and from the cardiologist's office. I wasn't looking forward to that (I was going to drive) because it is quite some distance on a major thruway, so when he said he would drive I was quite relieved. I must say, my little Mustang sure has had a workout since this knee operation.

The major portion of this operation is behind us. Monday he starts out-patient physical therapy. The script says three times a week for four weeks. I thought I would have to drive him the first week at least but that's no longer the case.  Another relief.

Friday the 13th turned out to be a good day after all.

A Time For Celebration

The weather has finally turned gorgeous. Warm, soft breezes without the humidity. A beautiful day to be outside with more to come...until that nasty old rain shows its ugly head again come the weekend.

You would think my husband would want to go outside and at least sit on the front porch and take in the fresh air. Nope...he prefers to stay inside moving from bed to table to chair and back to bed again. In between there he reads the paper, eats, uses the bathroom, and does little else. Sometimes I just don't understand him. He hasn't been outside since he came home two weeks ago.

But he will be going out Friday when he has an appointment to see his surgeon. 

Meanwhile, the physical therapist was here yesterday and was so pleased with my husband's progression. He is much farther along than anyone expected him to be at this stage of the game. His measurement numbers and angles of knee bends are off the charts so at least he has that going for him.

The knee wound has butterfly bandages on, and once they drop off it means another chapter over and done with. The physical therapist returns Thursday and will discharge him then. He is currently using the walker but PT hopes to have him using a cane to go to the doctor.

Next week is the start of outpatient physical therapy. The place we chose is a little over two miles from the house. The health network wanted him to go to their place which is ten miles one way. With the price of gas these days we chose to stay closer to home.

So things are kind of looking up and soon this will be behind us. I truly hope this is the last of these operations. The first replacement he had inserted in 2005 has since been recalled and this second one (inserted in 2008) is the star of some major lawsuits that are currently cooking with several law firms. They chose to move ahead without waiting for the FDA to recall this one.

So you see how lucky my husband is? Of all the knee replacement companies out there (and there are a lot), both of his are on the no-no list now. We always tell people that both of us have a bulls-eye on our backs and it is forever being shot at...and hit.

The Staples Are Out!

And it's just one more step in the right direction in this play we call life. It has only been two weeks since his operation but believe me, it seems more like two months. And I told the nurse that today as she was extracting those dastardly staples. She was amused.   I'm slowly getting there.

It will be another week of in-home physical therapy and then next Friday (the 13th no less) it's off to see the surgeon. He will then put our lives back in order to some extent.  Husband will be able to start taking the two pills he had to stop taking and at the same time stop taking the two they added into his regime.

He is still using a walker but I am hoping he can convert to a cane (or crutches at least) before he goes back to the surgeon. People are still marveling at how well he is doing and how far ahead of the game he always was.

Yep, he's my little soldier.

Catching Up

I missed the Royal Wedding but caught bits and pieces on the news.  Loved her dress...simple, yet elegant.

Husband is coming along quite well.  His incision (36 staples) had a little drainage the first day home but has been dry ever since.  He gets physical therapy three times a week at home and is doing well.  This Friday the staples will be taken out by the nurse that visits twice a week.  It seems like an eternity and it's only twelve days since the operation.  I feel like I have been put through many wash machine wringers.  Remember those?

Ding Dong the witch is dead, the wicked witch is dead.  Thank you U.S. Navy Seals...my new heroes.  You did well.

Yesterday I found three kittens in the box in the greenhouse.  A large one, a medium one, and a teeny tiny one that was just born the day before.  All three are from different litters.  I think they are trying to confuse me.  It's working.

Updates: The Other Half And The Kittens

Husband had his first physical therapy session today away from the hospital. It went well. The therapist was quite amazed at how well it went. You see, my husband did not want the pain pills he was getting in the hospital. You know the ones...they are loaded with narcotics. If there is one thing he absolutely detests, it is narcotics. Yes, he tolerated them the first two knee operations, but this time he put his foot down. So to speak.

He was sent home with two prescriptions: one for the Oxy and one for the Perco (I have cut them short for obvious reasons).  Needless to say I did not have them filled. Instead, the visiting nurse called a prescription in to our pharmacy for the non-narcotic pain pill, tramadol. He discovered that medication for pain three years ago with the second knee operation after they had started him on the narcotics. I couldn't pick the pills up yesterday because it was too late, so this morning off I went in a terrible thunderstorm rife with tornado warnings. Someone had to do it, and since I was the only one available I got elected. That's my job now till he can drive. Nerts.

The physical therapist was amazed how well he was tolerating any pain he may have. I told the man that he has been in pain for so long he doesn't know the difference now that there is a different type of pain in that area. Mr. PT just shook his head. He was also amazed that husband has not used ice and that his knee has hardly any swelling, but he did advise to start icing 20 minutes per hour.

And the biggest amazement? how well husband did after being put through the paces of the initial exercises. He surprised both of us, as we stood with mouths agape. That's my little soldier, and besides what else would one expect out of a person that is half German and half Russian?  Nothing less than what he delivered.

***************

When I went out to feed the cats this morning I was surprised to see that two of the kittens were back. And not in the same box they were in when they left. The older red one and the younger black and white one were still there tonight when I fed again. Missing in action is the older calico and the younger red and white one. And, of course, the older black one that the mother took in a different direction. Thank goodness there is such a difference in their sizes so that I can keep tabs on who belongs to who (whom?), although that doesn't seem to matter either. It looks like the cat that had the younger ones is also taking care of the older ones. Time will tell whether all of them made it through these terrible storms we are having.

Witnessing Cats' Behavior

Three weeks ago one of the cats outside gave birth to three beautiful kittens.  A red, a black, and a calico.  She chose to have them in our greenhouse.   Two weeks later, another female decided she would use the box I supplied in the greenhouse to have her two kittens. The first cat never did get the hint when I put the box out there the day after she gave birth.   Until she saw what it was really for.

It didn't take long before all five kittens were in the box and I never did figure out how feeding time was done. I have no idea if one cat fed them all or if they took turns or what.   I just felt that nature would take its course.

The weather has turned to hot. Like 80 degrees hot. And that makes for a very uncomfortable greenhouse, even with the door open and the roof vented. When I went to feed yesterday morning I saw that all five kittens were panting heavily so I put the box outside in the shade.

Before long, the mother of the two youngest kittens removed them one by one to a place that was cooler. She then came back for two of the other cats' kittens and left the black one in the box. This is where I interfered. I went outside and took the box with the black kitten and placed it by its mother in the shade. She took her kitten out of the box and trotted off with it in the opposite direction of where the first cat took the other four, including two of hers.

At that point I was so confused at what I had just witnessed that I didn't even try to justify what happened. I was just so glad that the responsibility of those kittens was taken from me and placed where it belongs: with the mothers.

End of story.

He's Getting Sprung

The good news is, my husband will probably be coming home today. He was supposed to come home Monday but I sort of kind of manipulated another day out of them since I didn't think he was ready to leave the safe cocoon of the hospital. And here's my reasoning for that: knee operations as he had usually are done on a Thursday or Friday (the same day they are admitted) and the patient is released three days later. That is the standard most insurance companies have set. If the surgeon feels the patient is not ready to be released, he may ask for an extension. As far as I know that was not done for my husband.

Since his hospital stay included Easter and the hospital staff was reduced tremendously, I felt he needed that extra day. I spent a lot of time in the hospital on Easter and it was like being in the twilight zone...very few nurses or associates. Doctors weren't anywhere to be found although my husband's surgeon had been in to see him Easter morning.

My husband called me yesterday morning telling me they were discussing his release. I told him I felt he was not ready to be released so he mentioned something to the caseworker that was there when he called me, and I guess that kind of threw a monkey wrench into their plans. I had other plans. After all, it would be my problem once he was home and if anything happened, what would I do? I am helpless in that department. I've been a secretary all my life, not a nurse or aide for that matter.

On Monday I decided I would go in later than usual (past the normal release time) and when I arrived he was sleeping (of course...he's good at that) and no one was around. When he woke up I asked him what the deal was and he said they would let him know later. Finally around 4-ish someone arrived with a male associate and she was telling him everything she knew about my husband. She interjected at one point that he was going to rehab but she did not have a bed for him. I waited till she was done with her litany and told her that technically he could go home. She said, yes he could. That is when I said he would be doing that on Tuesday (today). I told her there was a misunderstanding about him going to rehab. He had told me he didn't want to go in the first place.  We did that the first time he had his knee operated on and the parking is horrendous.  It's at another hospital in town and they have one postage stamp lot for parking.  Right across the street from the hospital is the fair grounds.  But you can't park there.  That's strictly for staff.  Try parking there and you risk getting a ticket.  I've never had a ticket in my life and I don't want one now.

So I will probably be bringing him home later today. The fun part is just beginning. The pain pills, the dressing, the staples being removed after 13-14 days, and the rehab visits. Oh, I just love those. What a pain. Three times a week, three co-pays. The last time he had this knee done he went to his surgeon's rehab but that is 9.5 miles from the house one way and with the price of gas these days, we must be more conservative so we are going to go to a rehab center closer to home. I think it's only three or four miles one way.  The shoe is on the other foot:  I am now the chauffer.

Wish me luck.

Today Is Our Anniversary

And how are we celebrating our anniversary you ask? Well, there are three cemeteries we have to visit so that we can place flowers on them for Easter. Then we are going to Sam's to do some shopping. I haven't been there this year yet...that I can remember.

Knowing my husband, though, he may throw in a few surprises, I will be taking it one hour at a time.

Friday the 22nd is our daughter's birthday. It is also the day my husband will have his knee operated on for the third time. And that means he will be in the hospital for Easter, too. That is part of the reason why I haven't been blogging much lately. We have had to do things every day for quite some time and there just weren't enough hours in our days.

So here we are, the day before the big day, which is the day I did not want to face. It sure got here in a rush. I was hoping it would take a bit longer. It means spending my nights alone...something that doesn't sit too well with me. But I've done it before and I can do it again. I always like to say that I will soldier on.

The Taxman Cometh...

but the taxman didn't taketh. I have procrastinated with the taxes just about every year, but I think this is the longest I went before doing them.  I finally broke down and did them on the 14th.

It's not that they're hard to do, it's just such a chore. Especially when you don't know what's in store at the end.   Do we owe or do we get? Thankfully, this year we had a surprise and are getting a refund. Last year we broke even because we had the energy credit from the turbine, but since our deductions went with the standard this year, no energy credit could be applied. It rolled over to next year.

I think we got a refund two years ago and that was a surprise but it was a smaller refund than this year's is.    We are only getting back the money the government withheld from one of our income accounts, so it's nothing to get excited about since it was our money in the first place.  They just took care of it for a year.  Nice of them, no?

At least now I can sit back and relax and not have to worry about doing taxes for another year. There was some drama attached to them, however.    Nothing comes easy for us.  I did them online and when I was all finished I was asked how I wanted to pay for them. Say what?! They were supposed to be free. I started free and at the end I was asked to fork over almost $53. At that point you have two choices: you either pay via credit card (or have it deducted from any refund) or you can back out and do it all over again at a different site or just use the same site but don't use your passwords from the previous year.  

Since I wasn't about to sit through another session with a different company (especially after having waited this long to finally do them), I took the easy way and just paid via credit card, and when it was all finished I quickly sent an e-mail to let them know how unhappy I was with their tactics. $50? Please. That's like bait and switch.  We went with the standard deduction and I only filed federal and not state, so at the very most it could have been $20 like I paid last year. But $50 blew my mind way into next week.  I'm still quite upset by that whole deal.  And I'm afraid they haven't heard the end of me yet either.

To make a long story short, they supposedly are going to refund my card. But I have to follow up and make sure they don't pull another fast one.    Because that loud noise you will hear is me hitting the ceiling (and a few other things)...once again.

You Just Can't Get Ahead

Today is my grocery shopping day so off we went to my favorite grocery store. This one has its origins in New York and is well known throughout our area.

Recently they stated that they would not raise prices on at least 40-plus store brand items lasting through the end of the year. I thought, how generous of them.

Today I was in need of paper towels. Living with three cats is cause to have such an item in the house, and I don't like being without them so I stock up when the price is right. I bought the store brand today for the same price I have been paying all of this year. I also noticed there was new packaging and thought, nice.   Still 8 rolls, still the same price. I guess they weren't lying.

For some unknown reason I decided to compare the fine print on the package. Not so fine, but you get the idea. What I discovered by doing that is, although they did not raise the price, they did take some of the product away. There are now 8 sheets less per roll for a loss of 64 sheets and the square foot size went from 403.3 to 330.4. And that's not all! Each towel is now 11 x 10.4 inches compared to 11 x 11 for the other ones.

The front of the package, however, states NOW! EVEN STRONGER & MORE ABSORBENT. I certainly hope so, since they got smaller.    Wait!  How can they be more absorbent if there is less product?  Oh, never mind, that's not the idea, I understand I think.

So the overall price did not get raised, but the unit price did. Ah, therein lies the rub...they didn't mention that in their statement about not raising prices. So we are paying the same and getting less product. Just like the big brand manufacturers have been doing for quite some time now. For instance, when is the last time you actually purchased a half gallon of ice cream?

See what I mean? You just cannot get ahead these days.

It's About Dang Time

I have been waiting on my daffodils to bloom longer than I care to think about. This is the longest it has taken them to bloom, and its only the ones at the side of the house where the morning and afternoon sun hits them. Nothing else has erupted yet, other than the forsythia we planted last year. The trees are full of buds though. Great promise. Have I ever told you all how much I love Spring? It is and always will be my favorite season of the year.

I am writing this at 12:30 am on a day that we are expecting the temperature to tickle 80. Our record for today is 83. Maybe we can beat that.

I almost forgot. There is one more thing (three things actually) that has erupted. Last Tuesday, April 5th, my oldest cat outside presented us with three little kittens. She had them in the greenhouse. One is black, one is a tiger, and the other is a calico. So there is at least one male and one female, and the black one could be either. Time will tell.

Remember the calico that was on the roof a few weeks back? She was up there again this morning. Since we had to go somewhere in a hurry I didn't have time to try and coax her down. I thought she would come down on her own once I put the wet food out for the others. But she was being stubborn again. When we got back she was still up there. I tried to chase her with a broom handle that didn't reach, but she only ran to the other side of the roof. But once I walked over to that side and she saw me coming, she jumped down because I saw her run over to the neighbor's yard.

***************

Dale Jr. finished 9th in the race Saturday night at Texas and moved from 8th to 6th in the points, and is now 21 points out of first place.

Justified ~ The Second Season

I started watching this show from the very first episode in the first season and fell in love with it right then and there. I have not missed one episode. This is Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens, the main character:

And these two are Timothy as himself:


Up until I started watching Justified I didn't know who Timothy Olyphant was. Since then I realize he has been in numerous films I have seen, I just never noticed him. How did that happen? How can one not notice him? He is very easy on my eyes, believe me.

I rate Justified right up there with Sons of Anarchy, another one of my favorites, as well as Rescue Me. The final season for that will be shown starting in mid-July. I will miss that show when it is over.

But meanwhile, I can savor Mr. Olyphant and his quiet demeanor as Mr. Givens.

Making Progress

Dale Jr. finished second to Kevin Harvick after being passed with three laps to go at Martinsville on Sunday. He almost won. Had he won, I would have gone into cardiac arrest probably. A win also would have snapped his losing streak of 99.

Today's run was very strong and this member of Junior Nation feels that a win is just around the corner. Maybe next Saturday night at Texas. Dale Jr. won his first Nationwide (aka Busch) race there as well as his first Sprint Cup (aka Winston Cup) race.

His second place finish took him from 12th in the points up to 8th. He is consistent and that means everything when it comes to racing. Consistency brings wins.

A note of warning: the day Junior wins a race will cause the Earth to shake with great tremors due to all his fans rejoicing. He hasn't won a race since May of 2008. Needless to say, a win is long overdue.

Hello April ~ Glad To See Ya

We hit the lottery for thousands of dollars and have decided to tour most of the European countries. Scotland and Wales are first on my list as are Ireland, Switzerland. and Germany. Wherever we go after those countries will be icing on the cake.


I am going to see Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks in concert when they come to Philadelphia later this year. I can hardly wait since I have been a fan of Rod's since he started singing. And I might add I am so glad he has gotten back to his roots.


I have lost enough weight to finally be happy with myself. And, boy, it wasn't easy.


My entire house has finally been painted not only inside, but outside too. And that includes the deck. We decided to hire out to do the job instead of making ourselves crazy by us doing it alone.



APRIL FOOL!

How far did you read before you knew I was lying?

If I Didn't Know Better...

...I'd swear we were still in January or February. Our temps in these parts are still in the 40's, whereas they should be in the 50's this time of year.

To make matters worse we are in the way of two separate storms over the next few days, one of which might bring a little snow with it. WTF? What did we do wrong to deserve this anyway?

It has gotten to the point where I don't even want to leave the house anymore due to this darn cold weather. And even when the sun is out, there's still the cold wind to contend with. But that's a Godsend since at least it turns the blades on our turbine.

Oh, I do believe I just now remembered what I was supposed to do at the end of last Fall: hibernate. How stupid of me to forget.

Here We Go Again

Husband's knee surgery date has been moved up twice since he got the original date, and it may change again if something else opens. He requested to be on the list of cancellations. He met with his surgeon yesterday. Today he had his pre-admission tests. And in four weeks his revision of the current replacement part(s) will be done. Doc thinks that only the tibia (lower) portion needs replacing. But if he thinks any other part is not right, he will make that call while the leg is open. That wasn't easy for me to write. I am very squeamish, to say the least. Health classes were the pits for me in high school. Especially when we had to sit on those rock hard chairs, it seemed as if my butt bones were sharper than usual during those classes.

Anyway, back to this knee surgery. I am not looking forward to this. I know the procedure too well as this will be his third surgery on the same knee. The fact that it will be done on Good Friday doesn't bother me. At least it is a non-race weekend so if he is released that Sunday (Easter) there will be no conflicting problems on my part. Yeah, I know...do I pick up the husband or do I watch the race? See? I won't have that problem. Unless, of course, they change his date again.

Now all we have to do is gather the necessary items the doctor and the hospital prefer we use before stepping foot into the facility the day of the operation. We've already purchased the special soap (anti-bacterial) from the surgeon's office. Next step is the iron which he is to take twice a day (325 mgs) as well as Senokot since the iron causes constipation. And then there is this new stuff we have to get via a prescription: it's an anti-bacterial gel that is put on a Q-tip and inserted into each lower nostril. It seems that the nose harbors the most germs. Centuries and decades later and they are just finding this out now? Sure we have good insurance coverage, but all these other odds and ends come out of our pocket.

I would so love to take a magic stick and flick it over my head so I could put myself seven weeks into the future. The four weeks of waiting would be over, the operation would be over, and the three weeks of heavy-duty rehab would be over. But that's too easy.